chocolate buckwheat cake
But before that, I really tried to tell you about soup, soup with whole grains and seasonal onions and floating croutons of pungent cheese. I really tried. But I found that the same conditions that led to the need for a hearty soup on a Monday night in May a gray day in which my brain a little fried from a week at the beach and maladjustment back to real life also made it impossible to discuss soup in any kind of articulate manner on Tuesday. And so, I made chocolate cake instead. If this site had a subtitle, that would be it.
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Brunch @ Bistro a Table
Whipping up a welcome reason to wake up on weekends, Bistro a Table now serves brunch every Saturday and Sunday, 10:30am through 2pm.
Rise and shine with some sunny-side-up: Bistro's duck egg croque madame with Gruyere bchamel and Italian turkey ham (RM19++) is as good as a yolk-based breakfast gets.
Truffled organic scrambled eggs, beautifully creamy and aromatic, with portabello mushrooms, oven-roasted roma tomatoes and toasted sourdough toast (RM25++).
House-smoked Tasmanian King Salmon with eggs on toast with sauted baby spinach (RM28++). Possibly PJ's tastiest rendition of this recipe, boasting a savory ooey-gooeyness that makes it real comfort food for brunch-goers.
Not everything here has egg as its marquee player (we're praying for egg yolk-flavored ice cream someday!), but this fresh croissant is well worth biting into, especially since it's partnered with rich French jams and brilliant Lescure butter (RM9.50++).
More elaborate than regular home-prepared cereals: organic Swiss Bircher muesli (RM19++), spruced up with sheep yogurt and cassis coulis for a fun fruity-milky mix.
Buttermilk scones (RM17++), prepared a la minute, with clotted cream, orange marmalade and raspberry jam. Ideal for folks preferring a denser, cake-like texture in their scones.
Organic corn fritters, served warm with avocado salsa, oven-roasted roma tomatoes, coriander salad and turkey bacon (RM24++). Highly, highly recommended.
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Ricotta pancakes with Gula Melaka syrup and organic bananas (RM25++). Can't tell if this is healthy or sinful. Or whether it's possible for something to be both.
Banana bread with mascarpone cheese (RM9.50++). The menu is expected to remain more or less the same for the next few weeks, so if anything here catches your fancy, make a reservation with Bistro, pronto!
A full range of wine and bubbly remains available in the a.m.
Bistro a Table,
Jalan 17/54, Section 17, Petaling Jaya.
Jalan 17/54, Section 17, Petaling Jaya.
Chelsea Market
Spend a couple of hours in Chelsea Market, one of the best places to visit in NYC, if you are a foodie. I know it is touristy but still, there's lots to see and eat. There are artisan breads, cakes, a large seafood market where you can eat the seafood that you've bought, cafes and restaurants (click here for the list). The market isn't the traditional open air market but is really in the ground and 1st floor of an old building situated at 15th Street and 9th Avenue. If I had to choose between Eataly or Chelsea Market, I'd chose Chelsea Market. Apparently this is the same building where Oreo cookies were first produced, and many media and broadcasting offices including smaller offices of Google are also in the building.
The first place to capture your eye, heart and stomach would be Eleni's. We spent 1/2 hour there checking out the cupcakes and cookies, especially the cookies. Unfortunately we had just eaten some cakes on the way there and weren't tempted to stuff our faces even though the cookies looked absolutely crazily beautiful.
We walked out of Eleni's and found that their neighbor, and the next neighbor, were all cake and bread shops.
Chelsea Market is similar to the Ferry Terminal in San Francisco, only there'smore to see inChelsea Market.
The supermarket was stocked to the ceiling and we picked up some mozzarella, white asparagus and nuts thinking we could picnic somewhere.
In San Francisco, I died with envy when I went into Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table and here in Chelsea Market, Bowery Kitchen Supply had everything. I'd be happy just to spend an afternoon in this store.
Then we went to The Lobster Place, a huge seafood supermarket and 'restaurant'. You pick the seafood you want and they cook (boil, mainly) them for you. There's also a large sushi section. Amazing place.
Lobster at USD14.50 per lb is pricier than other places (Chinatown is cheapest. You can get 2 medium-sized lobsters for USD20 or one for USD12, cooked) and I picked a monster that was about 3 lbs but my daughter protested and we had to settle for a smaller one, about USD31 which means it was a little more than 2 lbs. Which was good, because the two of us couldn't finish it.
I prefer the clams to the oysters. The oysters were small and not plump but the clams were crunchy and very sweet.
The lobster was served with melted butter. Truly one of the world's best meat to eat, the claws tasted of big crabs and the flesh of big prawns.
Even the mustard was yummy--creamy and flavorful.
Washed down with root beer, this was one of my favorite meals.
Since our apartment was nearby, we dropped all our shopping including groceries and went out again to paint New York. One night we found the mozz and prosciutto and made a tasty midnight snack of them, together with leftover Korean kalbi steak from a restaurant.
Sibu Island Resort, Johor Malaysia Retreat, Adventure, Spa, Teambuilding
Sibu Island Resort.
Heard of it? Yes, No?
No doubt the name is a bit misleading, and like any other Malaysian, my immediate reaction to the name was Huh? Why the 100% similarity in name to Sibu in Sarawak and its in Johor??
Name confusion aside, this island is unbelievably pristine with much coveted clear waters that is unusual for this part of the Peninsular.
Pardon my ignorance, I never knew that the southern tip of the Peninsular has not ONE, but a few beautiful islands thats suitable for idyllic island get-aways!
Sibu Island Resort is located off the east coast of Mersing, a town in the State of Johor. About 1 and a half hours drive from Johor Bahru, Tanjung Leman jetty is the entryway to the island, via ferry or catamaran in a mere 20 minutes journey.
We went in a bus, and I slept for most part of the 1 and half hour journey. I dont think I missed much, other than a bumpy ride and a landscape of gold/revenue generating palm oil estate. In case youre unaware, Johor is one of the main palm oil producing states.
The jetty was packed with people waiting for their turn to board the ferry. Most unfortunately, efficiency levels are pretty low here.
Daily ferry starts at 11.30am and since we were in a group of our own, we chartered a catamaran. The 11.30am ferry was late, and our catamaran was late too. Long story short, we were made to wait in idle for a good 2 hours!
Anyhow, for those who are heading to the islands from this jetty, there are plenty of parking spaces and we were assured by our tour guide that it is secure, even if you were to leave your vehicle here for a few days.
Believe it not, theres an air-conditioned KFC here.
Below: Typical jetty landscape.
By the time we boarded the catamaran, we were restless, agitated and hungry.
Note: This air-conditioned catamaran seats 70 and was pretty steady. Even a sensitive motion-sickness prone person like me found the 20 minutes journey to be pleasant and comfortable.
Fortunately, spirits lifted when we saw the vast sea and the welcoming sight of the Sibu Island Resort.
I gapped when I saw the waters.
Breathtaking isnt it! The urge to dive from the catamaran into the waters came to mind.
This is one of the adventurecontraptions that are available for the leisure and teambuilding activities on the island. My first thought was Can I go up there? 
Crankinessaside, the welcoming drink plus the enthusiatic singing performance helped to cheer us up!
After a quick lunch, I took time to explore the island.
Much has been done to transform Sibu Island Resort into an iconic adventure learning site and sea-sports centre in Asia. Its recent make-over involving the refurbishment of its 121 deluxe timber chalets, lobby upgrades and reclaimation of works of 3 new pristine beaches has put it on par with international holiday destinations.
I was thrilled to see the crystal clear waters and I just had to jump in, shorts and all.
I was even more captivated when I saw fishes swimming around my legs! That shows how unspoiled the beaches here are!
Here you go, more shots of the fishes. Can you spot them? 
Amazing isnt it? This was in shallow waters that was just 3-4 feet out from the beach. Imagine if we went out to snorkel or dive.
We didnt stay the night so I wasnt be able to review the accommodation and service. We were pretty much only visitors for the day so all we made the most of it scrolling on its grounds, visiting some chalets and shooting some arrows.
Here are some of the pictures I took around the resort.
Facilites: Tennis courts and a small gym.
Animals roam freely here and are fairly tame.
If you walk up to them slowly, youll actually get to pat them.
A resort cant not have a pool right?
The suites are located all around the island; some on the grounds near the facilities, some further back on the hills, and some at the beach side.There are a total of 121 chalets and these wooden chalets are designed based on the Malaysian traditional kampung houseswith tiled roofing.
Archery!
Strapping up for my turn.
Getting the technique right and taking an aim.
My shots actually hit the board (though not the bulls eye), which was good considering that my previous attempts years back where none of my arrows hit the target. LOL!
Around us the vast landscape is serene and relaxing.
A couple of kids played frisbee nearby as we strolled by after our archery session. Yes, this resort is family friendly too.
Accomodation at Pulau Sibu Island Resort is varied with a total of 5 different chalet layouts.
Superior room: A total of 36 units consisting of 1 twin @ queen bedroom and 1 restroom. Garden view & Forest view rooms.
Deluxe room: A total of 48 units. Consisting of 1 twin/hollywood twin/ queen bedroom and 1 restroom. Garden view, sea view and forest view rooms.
Serindit Room:A total of 16 units consisting of 1 twin/ Hollywood twin/ queen bedroom. 1 restroom and living room. Garden view and sea view suites.
Layang Layang Suites:A total of 16 units consisting of 1 double bedroom, 1 twin bedroom, 1 restroom and living room. Garden view and sea view suites.
Honeymoon Suites: A total of 3 units consisting of 1 double berdoom, 1 restroom and living room. Sea view suites.
Raja Udang Suites: A total of 2 units consisting of 1 double bedroom, 1 restroom and living room. Sea view suites.
Not! e: Pictures of the rooms are provided by the resort as we couldnt tour every room due to high occupancy.
Next: How should you spend your time in Sibu Island Resort?
Well, if youre into the active lifestyle, head down to the beach for some volleyball!
An avid thrill and adventure seeker, my heart was thumping the moment I saw this!
Hour Glass.
I was personally impressed with the team building equipment here, which I thought was out-of-the-ordinary. Like I said, I game to participate in all these activities!
High Rope Element.
Flying Fox.
And if youre here as part of a company retreat session, grab their team building/outward bound or telematch packages.
How can you be on an island and not indulge in some sea activities?
Snorkeling at the beach.
Snorkeling at Kukus Island, one of the beautiful island a boat ride away from Sibu Resort Island.
That includes diving if you wish.
Less strenuous activities but still with the fun, sea and sun elements are available as well.
Banana Boat.
Flying Fish. This looks fun!
Wind Surfing. This would be one of those activities I want to try soon!
Kayaking or Canoeing.
Rafting.
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